Door locking means



June 19, 1956 M. K. RICHMOND DOOR LOCKING MEANS Filed March 1, 1954 25 INVENTOR.

Moscow /6 IQICHMOND DOOR LOCKING MEANS Moscow K. Richmond, Los Angeles, Calif. Application March 1, 1954, Serial No. 413,237 7 Claims. (Cl. 268-74) This invention relates to door locking means and more particularly to a locking device for automatically operated overhead garage doors.

Power actuated garage doors of the overhead type are oftentimes operated by means of an elongated actuating member having one end secured to the center top portion of the door and the other end fed between suitable power driven roller elements for moving the actuating member longitudinally. Movement of this actuating member will pull the top portion of the door and swing the same about its pivot mountings from closed to open position or vice versa.

The roller elements for actuating the elongated member are, in most instances, forced into frictional engagement with the sides of the member to drive the same. With this arrangement, any obstruction which the door may encounter on being opened or closed will not damage the operating mechanism since the driving rollers will simply slip on the actuating member.

It will be appreciated at once that with garage doors of the above type, the door may be forced open from the outside by simply exerting sufiicient force to push the elongated actuating member through the friction drive rollers. If the frictional force between the drive rollers and the elongated actuating member is made sufiiciently great to frustrate opening of the door in this manner, then should the door encounter obstructions in normal operation, damage might be caused to the driving mechanism, since the safety factor of the actuating member slipping on the rollers is materially reduced.

The present invention has to do with a locking means for overcoming the above noted difiiculty. More specifically an object of the invention is to provide, in combination with an overhead type automatically operated door, a novel means for preventing opening of the door from the outside. More particularly, it is an object to provide a locking means of the above type which avoids increasing the frictional engaging force between the rollers and door actuating member.

A further object of the invention is to provide a simple and reliable locking means which may be readily adapted to most present day automatically operated overhead type doors with a minimum of labor and expense.

These and further objects and advantages of the invention are attained by providing a novel bracket means for securing one end of the elongated actuating member to the top portion of the garage door, and a projecting means or shoulder stop positioned on the frame of the door opening adjacent this bracket. The arrangement is such that the end of the actuating member secured to the bracket will engage this projection when the door is in closed position to prevent the door from being opened by any means other than by movement of the actuating member. Thus, any attempt to open the door from the exterior is frustrated.

An understanding of the preferred arrangement for effecting this locking will be had by referring to the accompanying drawings, in which:

2,751,220 Patented June 19, 1956 Fig. 1 is a side view partly in section illustrating a typical garage door operating mechanism in which the present invention is employed;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the part of the invention, taken 2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a cross section of the bracket taken in the direction of the arrows 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an elevation partly in section of the locking device in unlocked position;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 showing the locking device in locked position; and

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the bracket and a modified biasing means.

Referring to Fig. 1, there is shown in side view cross section a typical garage. A suitable overhead type door 10 adapted to close against an overhead beam 11 of the door frame, is pivotally mounted by means of supporting bars 12 and 13 to the sides of the garage as at 14. A tension spring 15 secured to one of the supporting bars 12 at one end and having its other end secured to the garage structure, serves to counterbalance the weight of the door about this pivot point. The door may thus be swung upwardly to an overhead position about the pivot point 14 relatively easily.

One means for automatically operating the door 10 is illustrated as comprising an elongated actuating member 16 secured to the top edge of the door as at 17 and adapted to be moved in a longitudinal direction by a driving means employing friction rollers, and designated generally by the numeral 18. Clearly any type of driving means for moving the longitudinal actuating member 16 may be used. An automatic garage door operator of the type designated 18 in Fig. 1 is fully disclosed in United States patent application Serial No. 322,974, filed November 28, 1952, and entitled Garage Door Operator.

It will be appreciated from Fig. 1, that with the arrangement described thus far and the door 10 in closed position as shown, if an intruder should exert suflicient force against the door 10, he could conceivably swing it about pivot point 14 thereby urging the actuating member 16 back through the driving apparatus 18 even though the apparatus 18 were not in operation. As described earlier, most driving mechanisms employ friction rollers and such motion of the actuating member 16 will not be unduly inhibited by the frictional engagement of the driving rollers with the member.

In accordance with the present invention, such unauthorized opening of the garage door 10 is prevented by a novel locking means incorporating in part, the attaching means 17 for securing the actuating member 16 to the top of the garage door 10.

Referring now to Figs. 2 to 6, a preferred form of this locking means is illustrated in enlarged view. Referring particularly to Figs. 2, 3 and 6, it will be noted that the actuating member 16 is in the form of a channel bar. To attach the end of this channel bar to the top edge of the door 10, there is provided a bracket means comprising a base plate 19 (Fig. 3) having upwardly turned side flanges 20 and 21 arranged to straddle the end of. the actuating member 16. As shown clearly in Fig. 3, the bracket base plate 19 is fastened securely to the top edge of the door 10 by means of screws 22. A pivot pin 23 is arranged to pass through alined slot openings 24 and 25 in these side flanges 20 and 21, respectively, and through further alined openings 26 and 27 in the Walls of the channel member 16 (Figs. 3 and 6). The channel memsecuring bracket forming in the direction of the arrow ber 16 is thus coupled to the bracket for pivotal motion 3 direction to swing the door into an overhead position without binding.

As mentioned, the alined openings in the side flanges and 21 of the bracket are elongated, and as shown clearly in Fig. 6, are inclined: Withrespect. to: thehorizontal to provide an inclined surface against which the extremities of the pivot pin 23 may ride. The purpose for this inclination of the slots 24 and 25 will become clearer as the description proceeds.

Normally the pivot pin 23 is urged against the lower base end of the slots by means of springs 2% and 29 secured to the ends of the pivot pin 23 and suitable projections 30 and 31, respectively, on eachside of. the side wall flanges. (See Fig. 2.) An. alternative means for maintaining the pin normally against the base of the slots comprises a central spring secured between the center of the pin 23' and rear edge of the base plate 19 as shown in Fig. 6.

It will be appreciated from the inclined nature of the slots 24 and 25 that movement of the actuating member 16, when the bracket 19' is held stationary, will cause the pivot pin to ride upwardly along the inclined surfaces defined by these slots thereby imparting an upward component of motion to the top end of the actuating member 16- in addition to a horizontal component. It is the upward component of this motion which effects the locking of the door 10 in closed position.

Referring to Figs. 4 and 5, there is provided an angle iron having a vertical leg 32 rigidly secured to the overhead beam 11 by means of screws 33, and a horizontal projecting portion or leg 34. The arrangement is such that when the garage door 10 is closed, the actuating member 16 and bracket'19 will assume: a position under the projecting leg 34 as indicated in Fig. 4. This positioning', however, is. carefully adjusted to insure that arcuate upward swinging of the door It) in normal operation will not be interfered with by virtue of this horizontal projection 34. The line which the top edge of the door 10 will follow in its. upward swinging movement is indicated at S in Fig. 4 and it will be noted that this clears the end of the projection 34.

The pivot pin 23 on the bracket will normally be positioned against the base portions of the slots 24 and 25 in view of the biasing springs 28' and 29. When the door it) is moved to closed position by movement of the actuating member 16 to the left through operation of the driving means 18 as shown in Fig. 1', this position of the pivot pin 23 will be maintained. However, once the. top edge of the door has abutted against the overhead beam 11, its motion is checked and further movement of the actuating member 16 causes the pivot pin 23 to ride upwardly in the slots 24 and 25' resulting in the top. portion of the actuating member 16 abutting against the projection 34. This abutting position is illustrated in Fig. 5 and it will be seen thatthe slanting disposition of the slots result in the necessary forward and upward com.- ponents of motion for effecting this engagement. it will be apparent that although the biasing springs 28 and 29 exert a force in a direction to cause the aforedescribed movement of pivot pin. 23 away from projection 34, and, hence, movement of actuating member 16 to its unlocking position out of engagement. with projection 34, the opposing force, presented. by the inertia of the parts of the drive 13 and the. friction of the drive rollers on the actuating member 16, resisting such movement will be substantially greater than the spring force. The actuatingmember will, therefore, be retained in its locking position in engagement with projection 3-; against the action of. springs 23 and 29. Suitable means (not shown) for shutting. oif the driving mechanism 18 is operated automatically when the member 16 has attained the position shown in Fig. 5.

It will be immediately evident that, in the position shown in Fig. 5-,. the projecting: portionv 34 of the. angle iron will effectively prevent the door 10 from beingraised from the outside. In fact, the only way of releasing the door is to actuate the channel element 16 in a reverse direction to pull its engaging surface away from the projection 34. This disengagement results from the fact that in applying a tensional force to the member 16 to the right as viewed in Fig. 5, the pivot pin 23 will be caused to ride downwardly and in a direction away from the projection 34.. The biasing springs 28 and 29 will of course aid in this motion and serve to retain the pivot pin 23 against the base of the slots once the actuating member rs has been, moved as described. Further motion of the actuating. member 16. then serves to swing the door about the pivot pin 14 to open the same as previously described.

it is thus seen that the present invention provides a unique locking means which not only serves. to: attach the top end of an actuating member to the garage door' but incorporates suitably inclined. surfaces cooperating with the end of the actuating member to lift the same into wedging engagement with a projection secured to the overhead beam of the door frame. The locking'ofthe door in closed position is thus accomplished without having to modify appreciably present garage door operators; in fact, the only necessary step is to replace the usual, attaching means by the special bracket having the inclined slots for the pivot pin and secure a suitable projection such as the angle iron illustrated in the present, case, in proper position to the overhead beam of the door frame.

Locking means employing the principles of the present invention will readily occur to those skilled in: the art. Therefore, the invention is not to be thought of as; limited to the precise structures described and shown in: the accompanying drawings for illustrative purposes only.

I claim:

1. In an overhead operated door including a substantially horizontal elongated actuating member for swinging the door from an open overhead position to; a closed vertical position against a door opening frame; means for locking said door in closed position,. comprising, in combination: a bracket having a base plate s.e cured. to the top of said door, said base plate having; upwardly turned. side flanges straddling one end of said. actuating member, said flanges having alined elongated slots; a pivot pin passing through one end of said actu. ating member and through said slots to pivotally couple said end of the actuating member to said bracket; and projecting means. rigidly secured to said frame and positioned over said bracket in the closed position of the door, longitudinal movement of said actuating member toward the door after said door is closed against said frame, causing said one end of the actuating member to move from a position wherein it clears the projection upon opening of the door to a position wherein the projecting means lies in its path whereby to prevent opening of the door.

2. The combination of claim 1, including spring biasing means connected between said pivot pin and a point on said bracket remote from said slots.

3. The combination of claim 1 wherein said slots are inclined with respect to the plane of the door whereby to cause said one end of the actuating member tobe moved upwardly into forced engagement with said projecting means upon said longitudinal movement of the actuating member.

4. The combination with a stationary frame and a pivoted closure swingable from an open position to a closed position against the frame, of a bracket secured to the closure, an abutment fixed to the frame, an elongated actuating mcmber for swinging the closure between open and closed positions, means for pivotally securing, one end of said member to the bracket for pivotal: movement of the member relative to the closure between positions substantially apart during operation of saidmember to swing the closure between its open and closed positions, said means also providing for limited" axial movement of the member in the bracket when the closure is in its closed position, axial movement of the member to urge the closure against the frame when in closed position causing movement of said one end of the member to a position wherein the path described thereby upon opening of the closure intersects said abutment whereby opening of the closure is prevented, axial movement of the member in a direction to open the closure Causing said one end of the member to move to a position wherein it clears the abutment.

5. The combination according to claim 4 and spring means for biasing said one end of the member to the last mentioned position.

6. The combination according to claim 4 wherein said means comprises a pin extending through said end of the member and having its ends received in slots formed in said bracket.

7. The combination according to claim 6 wherein said slots are inclined whereby to cause movement of said end of the member into forced engagement with said abutment upon said movement of the member to urge the closure against the frame.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,338,219 Dutcher Apr. 27, 1920 

